Where Your Treasure Is: Jesus and Money

Jesus talked about money constantly. More than heaven, more than hell, more than prayer — the Gospels record Jesus addressing wealth, possessions, and economic life with striking frequency. This passage from the Sermon on the Mount gets to the heart of why.

What did Jesus say?

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body — if your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

What did it mean then?

In the ancient world, wealth was stored in physical forms — grain, oil, fine clothing, precious metals. All of these were vulnerable: grain rotted, clothing was eaten by moths, metals could be stolen. Jesus is not making a financial planning argument — he is making a theological one. The things you invest in shape you. The things you protect and accumulate become the things you live for. The word translated 'money' at the end of this passage is mammon — an Aramaic word that carries the sense of wealth as a power, almost a deity. Jesus is not saying that money is inherently evil. He is saying that it has the capacity to function as a god — to command loyalty, to shape priorities, to define identity.

What was Jesus revealing about the Kingdom of God?

The Kingdom of God operates by a different economy. In God's economy, the things that last are not the things that can be accumulated and protected — they are the things that are given away. Generosity, justice, love, faithfulness: these are the currencies of the Kingdom, and they are not subject to inflation, theft, or decay. Jesus is also revealing something about the nature of the human heart: it goes where its treasure is. This is not a warning — it is an observation. The heart follows investment. If you want to know what you truly love, look at where you spend your money, your time, and your attention.

How does this transform us from the inside out?

The transformation Jesus is describing is a reorientation of desire — a shift in what the heart is reaching for. This cannot be achieved by simply giving more money away (though that may be part of it). It requires a change in what we find satisfying, what we find threatening, what we find ourselves thinking about when we are not thinking about anything in particular. The person who has been freed from the power of money is not someone who has no money — it is someone for whom money has lost its capacity to define their security, their identity, or their worth. That freedom is the fruit of a deep trust in God's provision and a genuine investment in the things of the Kingdom.

How can we practise this today?

Take an honest look at your financial life. Not to condemn yourself, but to understand yourself. Where does your money go? What does that reveal about what you actually value? What financial decisions are you making out of fear rather than faith? Consider one concrete act of Kingdom investment this week — giving to someone in need, supporting work that matters, releasing something you have been holding too tightly. Reflection questions: What does my spending reveal about what I truly treasure? Where does money function as a source of security or identity for me? What would it mean to be genuinely free from the power of money?